CA: Governor signs first major gay rights bill

San Diego Union-Tribune ^ | 9/14/04 | Bill Ainsworth

[NormsRevenge]

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the first major gay rights legislation to reach his desk yesterday when he approved a bill that would require insurance companies to offer coverage to registered domestic partners.

The governor's office announced his approval late yesterday without any fanfare or even a signing message explaining his decision.

AB 2208, sponsored by Assemblywoman Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, would require companies that offer health, life, homeowners and auto insurance to offer policies that cover domestic partners in the same way they cover spouses.

Current law requires insurers to offer domestic partners coverage equivalent to a dependent, rather than a spouse.

Gay rights advocates say the bill is a technical fix needed to pave the way for California's domestic partnership law, which takes effect next year. The law gives same-sex registered domestic partners a variety of rights and responsibilities now available only to married couples.

Kehoe, an openly lesbian legislator running for the state Senate, said in a letter supporting her legislation that the law is needed because "registered partners are often denied insurance benefits and coverage, or are unfairly required to pay higher premiums."

This new law, she wrote, "would protect families, eliminate uncertainty and confusion in current law and prevent unnecessary litigation."

The bill, though passed by the Legislature, ran into strong opposition. Opponents, including the Campaign for California Families and the Capitol Resource Institute, said it would infringe on the morals or private businesses that object to domestic partnerships.

In addition, some critics argued that it would drive up the cost of health insurance for businesses.

The bill was one of several sponsored by Equality California, a gay rights advocacy group that last year backed the state's landmark domestic partners law.

The Republican governor has long been viewed as a moderate on social issues, supporting gay rights, abortion rights and some gun controls. Unlike President Bush, who he has endorsed, Schwarzenegger has not backed a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

The governor yesterday also signed bills that:

Add the .50 caliber BMG rifle to the list of dangerous weapons and creates new felonies for the manufacture, sale, or importation without a permit of this firearm, except as specified. AB 50 was carried by Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood.

Limit hotel room rate hikes to 10 percent after natural disasters – legislation prompted by alleged price gouging in Imperial County in the wake of last fall's wildfires in San Diego and other Southern California counties. The bill, SB 1363, was carried by Sen. Denise Ducheny, D-San Diego.

Impose new restrictions and higher fines for falsifying workers' compensation claims. SBX42 from Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, also makes it a crime for failing to pay workers' compensation claims by anyone who knew they should.

Reimburse counties from the state for all costs for mental health services. SB 1895 was authored by Sen. John Burton, D-San Francisco.

Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill aimed at clarifying laws that define horse racing terms. AB3083 was written by the Committee on Governmental Organization to update the law. Schwarzenegger said one of the definitions differed slightly from the Business and Professions code.

While he said the meaning might be the same, he didn't think it was worth the chance of creating confusion.

By the end of this month, the governor must act on hundreds of bills passed in the final days of the legislative session last month. Key bills pending would allow prescription drug purchases from Canada and allow illegal immigrants to apply for driver licenses.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[NormsRevenge]

The governor's office announced his approval late yesterday without any fanfare or even a signing message explaining his decision.

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In addition, some critics argued that it would drive up the cost of health insurance for businesses.

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hmmmm....

[Michael Goldsberry]

Arnie is a Republican?

[Saundra Duffy]

I voted for McClintock.

[2banana]

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a real RINO...

[zerosix]

Not to mention sending more and more CA residents scattering to points elsewhere where Gays don't rule. Too bad Conan the Barbarian was given such a high profile at RNC Convention.

[John Jorsett]

And WHY were the Democrats so against this guy?

[Enterprise]

Ditto.

[NaughtiusMaximus]

Mr. and Mrs. America: Pay Attention! Another special group is awarded special privileges. The cost of your children's health insurance is soon going to rise.

[steplock]

Step ONE in the effects that HOMOSEXUAL "marriage" will have on normal moral people in the United States.

Our insurance rates will skyrocket now that insurance companies will be forced to insure the diseased mentally aberrant homosexuals.

[NYer]

Hey Arnold! Just a reminder!

"Homosexual unions are totally lacking in the biological and anthropological elements of marriage and family which would be the basis, on the level of reason, for granting them legal recognition. Such unions are not able to contribute in a proper way to the procreation and survival of the human race. The possibility of using recently discovered methods of artificial reproduction, beyond involving a grave lack of respect for human dignity,(15) does nothing to alter this inadequacy."

CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING PROPOSALS TO GIVE LEGAL RECOGNITION TO UNIONS BETWEEN HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS

Catholic Ping - let me know if you want on/off this list

[longtermmemmory]

There is NO WAY I wold put any business in California.

Why havenot shareholders objected to the cost of California to their company's California business. In this day and age it seems best to stay far far far far away.

If arnie ever gets CF under control then fine, but until that time...

[inquest]

They're not against him at all. They love having someone they can lampoon conservatives with. They wounldn't have been able to do that with McClintock. He would have been far more conservative in ways that count, but without the "girlie man" fluff which wastes political capital over nothing.

[MichaelP]

Watch the insurance premiums skyrocket. Especially for gay men.....

Mike

[NormsRevenge]

He was annointed as such by the New majority and the CA and National GOP power trioka .. what more can I say? lol

a pig in a poke is still a pig in a poke, no matter how much lipstick ya put on it.

[longtermmemmory]

California is so large that these costs WILL be spread to the rest of the nation.

[Boxsford]

Saundra, I showed up just to see if someone would write that! Good for you. He was never the right choice and never will be!!

[Boxsford]

AIDS comes to mind right off.

[little jeremiah]

Homosexual Agenda Ping - Gov. Schwarzenegger does the wrong thing. Very wrong. I didn't hear a thing about this until right now. Ayone want to put up contact numbers? Not that it'll do any good.

Domestic partnership to take effect next year. And all this after CA citizens votes to protect marriage. So the lieberals give us "gay" marriage under a different name.

Time for rational people to move out of CA.

Let me and ItsOurTimeNow if anyone wants on/off this pinglist.

[PeterPrinciple]

Someone on FR made a prediction that the democratic part will die and the Republican party will split.......beginning to believe it.

[inquest]

Watch the insurance premiums skyrocket. Especially for gay men.....

Insurance companies won't be allowed to single out homosexuals for higher premiums (discrimination, don'cha know). So everyone will have to "share the burden".